1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to nuclear waste disposal methods and systems, and more particularly, concerns a method and system which prevents leaching of the disposed waste.
2. Prior Art
The advantages of storing nuclear waste underground are generally known, for example see Hallenius et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,192,629.
As indicated in Hallenius et al., the problem of radiolysis of ground water has been known. Radiolysis is the chemical disintegration of material exposed to radiation. This phenomenon causes water adjacent to a radiation source, such as radioactive waste, to attain a much higher oxygen content and therefore the water becomes highly corrosive. This increases the risk of direct contact between the radioactive waste and the ground water due to the complete corrosion of the walls of the casing in which the radioactive waste is stored.
The solution to this problem set forth in Hallenius et al. is to line the cavity in the hollowed out rock with a plastic deformable material to prevent contact between the ground water and the casing. The use of the plastic material results in additional expense and also reduces the effective storage volume of the cavity.